The Pope at Santa Marta: in the face of those who seek to cause a scandal, silence and prayer

Pope Francis’s morning Masses at Santa Marta resumed on Monday 3 September 2018. Commenting on the Gospel of the day, the Supreme Pontiff noted that the desire for “scandal” and “division” displayed by some can only be countered by prayer and silence.

Barbara Castelli – Vatican City

“The truth is gentle; it is silent.” And so, “with those who seek scandal and division”, the only path to take is that of “silence” and “prayer”. This was emphasised by Pope Francis on Monday morning, as he resumed his daily Masses in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. The Supreme Pontiff began with the Gospel of the day, from St Luke (4:16–30), in which Jesus, having returned to Nazareth, is met with suspicion by his fellow townsfolk. The Word of the Lord highlighted in this text enables us to reflect on ‘how to act in our daily lives when faced with misunderstandings’ and to understand ‘how the father of lies, the accuser, the devil, acts to destroy the unity of a family or a people’.

No prophet is well received in his own country

On arriving at the synagogue, Jesus is met with great curiosity: everyone wants to see for themselves the miracles he has performed elsewhere. But the Son of the heavenly Father uses only the ‘Word of God’, a practice He adopts ‘when He wishes to defeat the devil’. And it is precisely this attitude of humility that gives rise to the first questions – ‘‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’”—which in turn sow ‘doubt’, bringing about a shift in atmosphere, ‘from peace to war’, ‘from amazement to indignation’. Through his silence, Jesus overcomes ‘the wild dogs’, overcomes ‘the devil who had sown lies in their hearts’:

‘It was not people, but a pack of wild dogs that drove him out of the town. They were not reasoning; they were howling. Jesus remained silent. They led him to the top of a cliff to throw him down. And this passage from the Gospel ends thus: ‘But He, passing through the midst of them, went on His way’. Such is the dignity of Jesus: through His silence, He overcomes this savage pack and walks away. Because His hour had not yet come. The same thing would happen on Good Friday: the people who, on Palm Sunday, had acclaimed him with cries of ‘Blessed is the Son of David’, were now saying ‘Crucify him’: they had changed. The devil had sown lies in their hearts, and Jesus remained silent’.

The truth is gentle

For the Pope, this passage is rich in teaching: when faced with a situation where it is difficult to perceive the truth, silence remains.

‘Silence triumphs, but through the cross. The silence of Jesus. But how often do arguments break out in families over politics, sport or money, and sooner or later, these families tear themselves apart. We see in these arguments that the devil is there, seeking to destroy…. Silence. (…) Because the truth is gentle; it is silent; it is not loud. What Jesus did is not easy: but the Christian’s dignity is rooted in the strength of God. With people who show no goodwill, with people who seek only scandal, division and destruction—even within families—silence. And prayer.”

A time to speak… and a time to be silent

The Pope concluded with this prayer: “May the Lord grant us the grace to discern when we should speak and when we should remain silent. And this, throughout our whole life: at work, at home, in society… In this way, we will become better imitators of Jesus.”

Source: www.vaticannews.va